cptnsolo77 wrote:Replaced door glass window run. Very easy !.....however this strip of rubber cost me 60 bux ! The only reason I replaced it because Im getting my windows retinted and 2 places have recommended it being replaced, or it may ruin the tint. At least it was easy to do

Busy weekend ! Friday was a Bad battery, but that was fine. Saturday my radiator was leaking. Had a crack on the plastic tank. $130 bux at advance auto. Easy job except for those stupid OEM hose clamps...made new curse words removing them and trying to reuse. I ended up picking some worm gear clamps instead. Piece of cake afterwards. Everything turned out great in the end. Even replaced the lower radiator hose and hosed the AC condenser since i was there. Next chance I will replace the upper hose and tstat. Just needed to get her back on the road for monday

Fun repairs this time Replaced my 7 year old Polks with the new DB652 series in the front. Unfortunately the old ones were water damaged. Replaced both door runs, used one of those speaker baffles ( had to modify cause they kill the bass ) and repaired the door trim prior to install to ensure it doesnt happen again. Got my tunes back though !!!

The plasti-dip has been flaking off the roof so it had to go. It's been such an ordeal trying to get it all removed so I've been working on it gradually for the last few weeks. FINALLY got all of it off today, exposing the failed clearcoat in all its glory once again.

Washed the car and broke out the DA for a coat of cleaner wax. Cleaned the interior up. Ol' car looks as good as it possibly can.

Changed the cabin air filter. I'm tempted to change the oil - it was last done back in August but I'm only 2600 mi into this OCI so I guess I'll hold off for a little while.

ColonelPanic wrote: I'm tempted to change the oil - it was last done back in August but I'm only 2600 mi into this OCI so I guess I'll hold off for a little while.

What's the rush My vibe has only had three oil changes in it's 9 year life so far (still sitting at 25k miles) Got yelled at by the oil analysis people when I sent in oil from my 1992 F-150 after a 7 year oil change interval and approximately 9000 miles during that time ( it finally just turned over 60k miles). Surprisingly there was not any major engine damage done. Was advised to change oil every two years regardless on the mileage.

Someone I know said tires have a limited safe life span. I heard four years.

I bought a set of used tires fro my son's Hyundai Sonata. I did not check the production date imprinted on them. it's an oval with 4 digits showing week and year. I.e. 2508 = 25th week of 2008 or summer 2008. I just looked at them when I swapped from the winter tires. They are 10 years old! I've seen some minor cracking in the sidewalls. They do hold air, are nicely balanced and have good tread except for one of them. Of course the grip is now reduced but still good to very good. You rarely ever go to the limit anyway. I am sure winter performance would suck, but we have dedicated wither tires anyway.In my opinion they are due, so I am looking for a good deal. Is it urgent ? No. Not for our way of using the car. It's a judgement call.

What happens in year 4? If you have a tire with a 90000 mile warranty and the average yearly mileage in the US is about 12000 shouldn't you get 7 to 8 years out of them?

In my opinion the 4 year limit is arbitrary and probably put out there by someone who has an interest in selling more tires.Scotty Kilmer made a video referring to tires: https://youtu.be/6PM3M6lWGHM

Vibrologist'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

I just removed automatic A/C from the defrost control in my '07. I unplugged the two-wire connector at the back of the heater control. It's easy with the radio out, takes about 1/2 hour.

I live in a dry, temperate climate, where I seldom use A/C. Once in a while I get a carload of wet skiers on a cold day, and I need the A/C then. Most conditions, heat only works just fine. I also know to manually turn the A/C on once in a while to circulate the refrigerant. (I'm such a efficiency wienie, I do that on long mountain grade descents, as an engine brake of sorts.)

I replaced the factory radio with an inexpensive Boss brand from Crutchfield today. Total cost was $70. It seems to work fine, playing the radio, CDs, and audiobooks via Bluetooth. It's the best-looking after-market installation I've ever done.

The Crutchfield free installation kit worked out alright, but the instructions with the mounting bracket/bezel were pretty much nil. I was just lucky to figure out there was a removable insert behind which the radio case mounted. I was about to do some cutting. I had to cut some unneeded mounting brackets off, too, but that was self-explanatory. Otherwise it fit great and went together easily. Total time was less than an hour.

I'm happy to see the last of the broken factory radio. The clock didn't even work on it any more, with most of the display lights burned out. Neither the tuner nor volume knobs worked reliably or consistently. It was not worth trying to fix it.

We drove the VIbe up to the Continental Divide this morning with our bicycles, and cycled the Bakerville-Loveland Trail (BLT). The two road bikes fit nicely in the cargo area with front wheels off. We also drove to a trailhead on a rough road above Georgetown and did a little hiking in an historic mining area. Front wheel drive was all that was needed, and clearance was just high enough. It was a nice two-sport day with the Vibe.

Finally got around to changing out the Valve Cover gasket. While I had everything apart, I replaced the air filter, changed the spark plugs a little early, and took care of a stripped screw on the IACV (then cleaned it out and changed the IACV gasket!). Finished with a Simple Green of the engine compartment.

Have to wait until 5:00 PM EDT tomorrow to start her up- the two dabs of RTV on the valve cover need 24 hours to cure...

EDIT 6/17: She started up just fine and when she warmed up, the idle was pretty steady at 800 rpm, which is a bit higher than in Drive w/ brake on (750 +/- 25 rpm) and before the gasket change. Will report back if any other noticeable differences...

EDIT 6/22: Idle was still getting into the low/mid 600's after reaching operating temp when at a stop in Drive. Got a P0420 code while driving through a T-storm earlier in the week after the valve cover gasket change- was getting them prior to the change, so was hoping that would fix it. Ordered a PCV valve and installed it. Idle seems a bit better.

'Twas a few weeks ago, but removing the valve cover, timing cover, and replaced those gaskets along with the crank seal, resealed the oil pan with FIPG, and a fresh oil change on my 03 GT. Also replaced the water pump, serpentine belt, and lift bolts while I was at it. At 267k she is no longer leaking any fluids and is running like a champ.

The 07 needs a big dent pulled from an accident over the winter where someone ran a stop sign and hit us. Hasn't been a major concern. Hopefully after my wedding in a few weeks I can take care of that.

I just drove 1000 miles in my '07, from Denver to Albuquerque, with a loop through Durango, CO back to Denver. Very nice ride on the new rear shocks and I enjoyed listening to audiobooks on my iPhone via the new stereo. (Those projects cost me $70 each. I'm pleased with the car's economy so far.) I brought my road bike, and didn't have to take a wheel off to stow it in back.

First two legs were in headwinds and it was hot so I used the A/C (which I just recharged), and I got 36+ mpg. Those legs were also on four lane, 70 to 75 mph limited-access highway. Last leg through the mountains, mostly two-lane, with a good tailwind, I got 45+ mpg. Again, fairly economical.

One little mech problem in a heavy monsoon rain storm: I switched the wipers on high and one of them jumped out of position. The wiper was very loose on the shaft. I removed it to check the splines and they look okay, so I tightened the nut and all seems well. It's a tapered spline arrangement I hadn't seen before, not that I have vast experience with wiper shafts.

I think the new shocks gave some lift in the rear. I parked next to another Vibe once and could see the difference. I'm considering doing the fronts now, though the ride seems fine.

Well it finally happened. First the rust on the exhaust started on the pipe behind the muffler, causing it to be a little louder. Then the rust started to make a whole after the resonator, making the car even louder. Now it finally severed after the resonator completely.

It's a shame the only exhaust I can find is the Magnaflow one. That is way too expensive. I'm thinking about having a shop just fabricate one.

MrManager wrote:Well it finally happened. First the rust on the exhaust started on the pipe behind the muffler, causing it to be a little louder. Then the rust started to make a whole after the resonator, making the car even louder. Now it finally severed after the resonator completely.

It's a shame the only exhaust I can find is the Magnaflow one. That is way too expensive. I'm thinking about having a shop just fabricate one.

Today I replaced the cheap radio I bought from Crutchfield. It would lose power randomly, hopefully the new one is better. I don't expect too much for $70. But Crutchfield sure is excellent on warranty service, within 60 days.

I was a little miffed the rear connector changed in those 60 days, so I had to spend an extra ten minutes and rewire it.

Still pleased with the Vibe, 8000 miles driven in the 9 months we've had it. Half those miles have been on vacation road trips. No issues have come up at all, just maintenance stuff.

Wow, haven't posted in this forum in a while. Didn't do much to my car besides regular maintenance during the winter, when late spring came I started fixing things on it again. Because summer is almost over I'm trying to finish doing all the cosmetic stuff before it gets cold.

Found the source of the leak in mine, and it was in the exact same location. Wonder if that's a common leak point on ours. Picked up a denso radiator for $50 on Amazon and a new upper radiator hose and screw clamps.

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petervivian wrote:

cptnsolo77 wrote:Sorry to hear that you had to change back to the stock bulbs. What HID projectors have you seen that fit through the opening of the stock bulb ?.....very interesting....

I don't think these will work on our cars without heavy mods to the light fixture. Our headlights have a plastic cap in front of the headlight bulb.

bigdoug wrote:Also, fixing this.It broke at the beginning of the week. I have a temporary joiner half clamped on, but it rattles. I'm trying to see if I can get the flange apart so I can put a flange replacement on it.

I ended up fixing this not long after I posted this. Used heat and penetrant on the bolts as well as a breaker bar and was able to get the bolts out amazingly. Getting the old gasket out was fun, had to use a chisel, hammer, penetrant, and heat. I used Walker 41727 flange to replace the broken flange. I had to cut the flange adapter's pipe in half because it was too long, there was a bend just after the flange. I also had to cut the exhaust pipe down so the new flange would fit over it. I used tin snips to cut notches in the end of the flange adapter so it would clamp properly around the existing pipe. I also took a small segment of the old pipe I had cut off and hammered it into the flange end of the adapter so the new donut gasket would have a place to sit on. I ended up using the same springs and new bolts and washers and a clamp to button it up. Hasn't given me any problems yet.

But wait, there's more!(Since it seems you can only upload 5 pics per post, I'll just use an imgur account)

First off, I remember that someone was selling some kind of vinyl to turn your yellow taillights red. Does that person still do that, or does anyone know where I can get a small amount of vinyl cling to do it myself?

I mentioned before that I was taking apart my hatch lock to clean it out. The bolt was rusted in but I was able to pry it out. Most annoying thing was having the different lock slides launch themselves across the room. I removed all the corrosion, used a lock lube, got the whole thing back together, polished the front of it, and put it back together. I had broke part of the tab that holds the c-clip on the back, so I drilled a small hole, used a screw and washers and blue threadlock, and put it back together. Works great now.

So I did the mod for the center console 12v constant on, but did it my own way. I used wire suitcases to run 16g wire to a switch I mounted in the glove compartment because I didn't want the 12v jack to possibly drain the battery. So now the jack operates normally with the key on, or with the switch on and the key off.

Speaking of the central console, decided to replace all the hinges. Found out that there's a cheaper option for the hinge for the entire armrest. Usually the hinge costs $30 on ebay. Not bad, but if you get the hinge for the Celica 94-99 / Scion TC 05-10, Toyota part number 58907-12050, it's only $10-11 and fits our armrests with NO modification.(The Vibe one is on the left, the TC one is on the right, but trust me, they fit without modification).Also, the holes that the smaller hinges went into had cracked so used some tin can strips and tiny screws to better secure them.

Also changed my trans fluid early this spring. Drain plug made it easy.

One day this summer when heading to work my car refused to start. Didn't crank or anything. Figured out quickly it was the starter. Luckily I was at home, rode my bike to the parts store and picked up a new starter. Was a pain to get the starter out, had to remove the filter and oil pressure connector to get it out. I found that removing the bracket under the throttle helps to make it easier to get at the top bolt for the starter.

Over the winter a hole formed in the fender liners and caused ice and snow to destroy the washer pump. Found a new pump, as well as undamaged liners for both sides in a local junkyard. I found that the reason we get holes in the front of the wheel liners is that there's a plastic fastener right behind the headlights, one that goes vertically up into the body, that prevents the liners from hitting the tires, and mine were missing. I've replaced both and there are now no problems. If they fall out I might replace them with bolts.

Last story. This spring was terrible for potholes. While on a ramp going onto the highway I hit potholes that spanned across the entire ramp. Loud bang. Passed a dozen or more cars disabled on the road after it. Later found out it had destroyed both front struts and wheel bearings. Amazingly, I was able to get the state to reimburse me for damages, which almost never happens. There's a local repair shop that allows you to rent a bay with a lift to work on your own car, and they had a shop press, so I decided to do my own bearings. I knew how to do them but had never done them before. It went smoothly except for the snap rings that were rusted in and hard to get out. Covered the ring with penetrant, then I wedged a small screwdriver behind one end and wiggled until it popped out, then moved around the snap ring lifting the rest of it out. Also rented some bearing adaptors from autozone to help me.

If you need a bearing just get the AC Delco one from Amazon, it's the OEM one. And a new snap ring is $3 from the dealer around here. $10 for a new spindle nut.

I used an impact socket to press the hub out, didn't take a picture of that.Here I'm pressing the bearing itself out, using an adapter to press the bearing into the tube under the knuckle.

Cleaned out the inside of the knuckle with a wire wheel.

Pressing the new bearing into the knuckle with the old bearing as a guide and adapter.

Pushing the hub into the bearing. When doing this, Do Not support the hub on the studs or you will push them out, support it by the solid metal.

Snap ring in and knuckle ready for installing. I found that a pair of 12" long needle-nose pliers worked better with those snap rings than ring pliers that were not big or wide enough.

New monroe struts.

These were on the springs. Seriously, if you don't know which end of a strut is up, maybe you shouldn't replace them!

Enough flooding the thread with images for now. I'm painting interior panels, updating the sound system when I have money, doing some leds for the front lights, going to flush the power steering soon. Will show pictures of those as I finish them. Also, I think I'm going to use my own garage thread not just to post regular maintenance, but to post all the mods I do and how I did them.

Had to perform the "cable tie" method of securing the splash/stone shield under the front of my son's 2009 Vibe GT. He drove around awhile before noticing it and damaged it pretty good. Will have to attempt to get original clips/rivets along with cable ties to re-secure it better in a few weeks.

Well, I bought a set of brand new Blizzak winter tires for an amazing $100 that I thought were 215/60/16... misread them, they were actually 225/60/16. Oops. I've read a thread here that says they're a bit too big, 7% too big... do they rub against the wheel well or suspension? Would offsets help? Or should I just sell them again on Craigslist?

Here's my latest projects:

Changed the power steering fluid. May have to do this again as it became kinda dark again.

Replaced the control arm.

Wired up an LED third brake lightI actually don't have a picture of it lit up for some reason but it does work.

Changed the color of the instrument lights. I used blue masking tape. The lights come off a bit darker than the image, and with a subtle pattern from the tape that looks awesome. I swear I need to do a write up on this because I screwed up half the needles and spent a couple weeks or so fixing them (hint, spin the rpm and speed needle to the other side of the stopper and then use a piece of tape to mark their positions, mark the position of the gas needle with key on, and zero the temp needle when engine is dead cold (or put temp needle horizontal when it's at operating temp)).Oh, and look at what I did with the temp gauge and some red masking tape.

Last weekend I put in blue LED bars under the dash (bars for the back seats will come later). Was a wiring adventure. Switch for it went into the spot next to the hatch glass release button.

And last but not least, today. I'm sure you guys know about the part of the rocker panel that extends into the rear wheel well, and collects dirt and leaves and crap in it. Mine had holes rusted into them. So what I did today while it was warm was cover the holes with metal drywall patch screen, and then bondo'd the holes and filled the entire cavity so things won't get stuck in them anymore. Later will come primer and then rubber undercoat!

I replaced the recirculation actuator under the dash. this worked for me::

Remove the glove box door.Contort myself to look up under the dash.Disconnect the wire harness from the recirc actuator. I used a small Allen wrench to get under the tab and pushed it out towards the driver side while pulling the harness back.Wrap a 5.5 mm socket with masking tape for friction.With the left hand feel for the screw heads. With the right hand bring the socket to the left hand and somehow put it on a screw head. Turn out the screw with fingers only. This would not work without tape on the socket.Repeat with the other screw. Wiggle the actuator off towards the driver's side.Wiggle the new actuator on. The actuator must be rotated to drop into place.Add and tighten the screws.connect the wire harness.Put glove box back.

Vibrologist'05 Vibe

"It is important to know the difference between 'accurate' and 'precise' even if you are neither!"

bigdoug wrote:And last but not least, today. I'm sure you guys know about the part of the rocker panel that extends into the rear wheel well, and collects dirt and leaves and crap in it. Mine had holes rusted into them. So what I did today while it was warm was cover the holes with metal drywall patch screen, and then bondo'd the holes and filled the entire cavity so things won't get stuck in them anymore. Later will come primer and then rubber undercoat!

Very ingenious. I was wondering how to go about filling that area in.

The passenger side on ours has rotted away in that same spot. Driver's side is heading that way. Of course I also learned today that 1/4 of the way up the inner fender on the driver's side also has cancer. Wire brushed and sanded the best I could. Cleaned it all up and threw on 2 coats of Rustoleum Rust Reformer where needed (will fully paint the inner fenders later on.) The cladding of course kept me from doing anything with the underside, so I just sprayed a bunch of Fluid Film there.

Also sprayed some Fluid Film on the pinch welds, rear suspension and in the license plate bolt holes.

In the middle of all that, I go to open the driver's side rear door and the handle snaps off. Luckily a cheapo ebay spare was on hand. When I got the latch bolted back in, of course the outside handle did nothing but make an awful noise when pulling the handle. Took the latch loose again and found that the position of the blue plastic piece that runs down from the handle to the latch is apparently of great importance. All good now.